Stan White Farms Beetroot Grading & Washing
Stan White Farms is a family owned arable farm which has been running for over 55 years. Farming around 3500 acres cropping is split between cereals and beetroot with the latter covering upwards of 1200 acres annually. Originally started by Stan White back in the 1950’s, the business has grown dramatically over the years, now producing over 25,000 tonnes of beetroot in one season.
In 2009, Graham White contacted Haith to discuss a new beetroot grading system. After considering other manufacturers, Stan White Farms chose Haith to design, manufacture, and install the new line for a number of reasons. Haith have a reputation for being able to produce completely customised robust solutions which was necessary to suit Stan White Farm’s large box size and required capacity.
Using five 1800mm wide screen graders and twelve vertical box filling heads, the new system was a major upgrade from their old roller grader which fed straight into boxes. This meant that not only was grading able to reach a capacity of up to 50 tonnes per hour but the sizing was much more accurate and the beetroot was being handled very gently.
In 2011, Graham White contacted Haith again looking to upgrade their washing line. After the huge success of the grading line the decision to use Haith washing equipment was very easy.
“The smooth installation and reliability of the graders meant that when it came to changing our washer, Haith was the obvious choice. They have always listened to what we want and their after sales support has always been excellent” said Graham White. “We wanted a washing system which could keep up with the grading line and had seen how good other Haith washing machines were at getting the product clean.”
After discussions of possible solutions, the completed line consisted of a 3500mm diameter conical stone separator with a pintle rubber belt for top removal. Also, a 1500mm diameter, 4.5 metre barrel semi-submerged washer was chosen which also had floating waste removal and a self cleaning tank for removing solids. A brush washer was included for final cleaning and fresh water rinsing as well as an Odenberg optical sorter for electronic inspection of the washed beetroot. “We have been delighted with the new washing system, especially the wash quality of the beetroot and the gentle handling through the line,” said Graham White. “One of the key features to us is the ease of control we get with the entire line being touch screen operated.”
Duane Hill, sales manager, said: “In the past few years Haith and Stan White Farms have built a strong working relationship. Its very satisfying visiting Stan White Farms to see box after box of accurately graded & clean beetroot coming off the line, and above all to hear the complimentary feedback we get from Graham White. We pride ourselves on producing high quality, cost effective systems to help our customers remain competitive in today’s difficult markets.”
To find out more about Haith and its range of vegetable handling equipment, please visit our Machinery Section, email sales@haith.co.uk or call 01302 831 911.
To find out more about Stan White Farms click here.
